Unit 3, Lesson 11

Frankish Kingdom

By 500, Western Roman Empire was replaced by states ruled by German kings: kingdom of Franks was only long-lasting one Established by Clovis, strong military leader who was one of first Germanics to convert to Christianity (around 500) By 510, Clovis's Frankish kingdom stretches from Pyrenees in southwest to German lands in east (modern-day France & western Germany)

By the end of the 4th century, ____ had become the supreme religion of the Roman Empire

Christianity

Christian Church Organization

Communities called parishes were led by priests Group of parishes headed by a bishop, whose area of authority was known as a bishopric or diocese Bishop of Rome began to claim he was leader of modern-day Roman Catholic Church Catholic Church developed body of doctrine; especially important was church council, a meeting of representatives from entire Christian community who defined church teachings

William of Normandy

Defeated King Harold at Battle of Hastings on coast of England on October 14, 1066; after he became king, he began combining Anglo-Saxon & Norman institutions to create a new England

Russia

Eastern Slavs settled in present-day Ukraine & Russia In late 8th century, they encountered Vikings (Rus), who dominated them Oleg, viking leader, settled in Klev at beginning of 10th century & created Rus state known as principality of Kiev Successors to Oleg expanded Kiev until it included territory between Baltic & Black Seas & Danube & Volga Rivers First Russian state ended in 1169 due to civil wars & invasions In 13th century, Mongols conquered Russia: occupied Russian lands & required tribute from Russian princes Alexander Nevsky, prince of Novgorod, was awarded title of grand-prince by the khan, leader of western Mongol empire; Nevsky's descendants became leaders of all Russia

English Parliament

Emerged in 13th century during reign of Edward I Composed of two knights from every county, 2 people from every town, & all of the nobles & bishops from throughout England Nobles & church lords formed House of Lords & knights and townspeople formed House of Commons Imposed taxes & passed laws

Holy Roman Empire

In 10th century, dukes of Saxons became kings of eastern Frankish kingdom (now Germany) Otto I was Saxon king of Germany who was crowned emperor of Romans in 962 for protecting the pope German kings attempted to rule both German & Italian lands Frederick I planned for chief revenues to come from Italy, as Italy was central of "holy empire", but people of northern Italy opposed him Frederick II wanted to establish centralized state in Italy, but popes & townspeople in northern Italy opposed him as well German monarchy weak & incapable of maintaining a strong monarchical state due to neglect allowing powerful German lords to create their own independent kingdoms

French Kingdom

In 843, Carolingian Empire was divided into 3 sections: 1 section, west Frankish lands, formed kingdom of France After death of last Carolingian king in 987, west Frankish nobles chose Hugh Capet & established Capetian dynasty of French kings; Capetians had little power & controlled area around Paris King Philip II Augustus, king from 1180 to 1223, waged war against rulers of England who ruled French territories to gain control of territories & expand income and increase power of French monarchy By 1300, France was largest & best-governed monarchical state in Europe

Henry II

King of England from 1154 to 1189 Increased number of criminal cases tried in king's court & devised means for taking property cases from local courts to royal courts Expanded power of royal courts to expand power of king Body of common law began to replace law codes that varied from place to place

King John

Many English nobles resented king's power & began to rebel during his reign Forced to put his seal on Magna Carta at Runnymede in 1215

European civilization emerged during the

Middle Ages or medieval period, a middle period between the ancient world and the modern world lasting from 500 to 1500

Slavic Peoples

Originally a single people in central Europe; gradually divided into western, southern, & eastern Slavs Western Slavs eventually formed Polish & Bohemian kingdoms Poles, Czechs, & non-Slavic Hungarians accepted western Christianity & became part of Roman Catholic Church & its Latin culture Southern Slavic peoples included Croats, Serbs, & Bulgarians Croats remained Catholic; other southern Slavs & eastern Slavs embraced Eastern Orthodoxy, faith of neighboring Byzantine Empire

Charlemagne (Charles the Great)

Ruler of Frankish kingdom from 768 to 814; strong statesman & pious Christian; unable to read or write Expanded territory of Frankish kingdom & created Carolingian Empire, which covered much of western & central Europe Crowned emperor of Romans by the pope in 800 After his death, Carolingian Empire began to fall apart because rulers had difficulty defending subjects from invaders

pope

a bishop of Rome

empire

a major political unit having a territory of great extent or a number of territories or peoples under a single sovereign authority; one government controlling a lot of land

monk

a man who pursues a life of total dedication to God; Benedictine rule written in 6th century BC by Saint Benedict; monks were social workers, providing schools for young, hospitals for sick, & hospitality for travelers

vassal

a man who served a lord in a military capacity; known as this by 8th century

feudalism

a political & social system in which people served powerful lords or nobles in return for protection; came to be characterized by a set of unwritten rules, known as the feudal contract, that determined the relationship between a lord and his vassal

____ was the most important gift a lord could give to a vassal

land

common law

law that was common to the whole kingdom

Magna Carta (Great Charter)

monarch's power was limited; eventually gave rise to trial by jury in 14th century

The major obligation of a vassal to his lord was to

perform military service, usually about 40 days a year

The new European civilization that formed in western Europe formed as a result of

the coming together of three elements: Germanic peoples who moved in & settled the Western Roman Empire, legacy of the Romans, & Christian church

fief

the grant of land made to a vassal; known as this by 9th century